One day early in the global lockdown, Frédéric Blais scribbled four words on a Post-It note and pinned it up in his studio. When he headed to a studio in the mountains north of Montreal to start work on his fifth album as Fred Everything, those words went with him. They would not only provide inspiration during two weeks of isolated music-making, but ultimately provide the subsequent album with its title: Love, Care, Kindness and Hope.
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Hard Times taps Alex Arnout's Black Logic for a release that feels like a natural extension of the label's deep house legacy. Having spent his formative years on Hard Times the club's dancefloor, Arnout channels that history into four tracks that blend jazz-flecked grooves with rich, soulful textures. The opener is a crisp, funk-laced roller, its bassline locked into a groove that nods to the genre's 90s heyday. 'Back 2 Where We Were' takes a more introspective turn, its warm melodies and fluid percussion creating a late-night haze. 'Blackman' sees Beckford deliver a stirring vocal, weaving conscious lyricism into intricate instrumentation, while 'Jazz Mess' closes the set with free-flowing drums and improvisational energy.
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